A Hopeful Glimpse into Difficult Times — A JIVE BOMBER'S CHRISTMAS at KKT

The year is 1943, and as war rages overseas, the American government commits its own atrocities at home. All around the country, internment “camps” fill with Japanese Americans—camps surrounded by fences and posts where soldiers guard the “campers” with guns. A Jive Bomber’s Christmas, by Dom & Sachiko Magwili, is set, primarily, in one such camp.

Jive Bomber’s is part play part musical revue, with the change coming at intermission. The first act—though there is music and some singing—is the drama half, also functioning as the setup for the second-act variety show, something the camp resident prisoners decide to put on in the name of Christmas cheer, despite the fact that everyone involved is dealing with their own personally painful subplot. Director Stephanie Conching has her work cut out for her with only one act to develop numerous characters and plotlines that should all be resolved in the end, and hardly any dialogue or scene work in the second act that isn’t part of the Christmas show. Her approach, aside from a few vignettes, is pretty straightforward.

The play opens a little like an episode of M*A*S*H*, with a young woman in the internment camp narrating as she writes a letter to her brother who’s fighting in the war. As the scenes change and new characters enter, the camp begins to round out with the many different lives inside its barriers. There are multiple threads presented in the beginning, each one a different vein of tension for the many characters, giving each actor a course of actions to follow. With the script a little scanty on certain details, it becomes the job of the performer to really make something of their individual character and his or her relationships. The dedication and intention was generally there, with varying degrees of overall success.

Jessica Kauhane stands out in her role as actress/entertainer Mitzi Kagayama, brightening the atmosphere of the camp with her big personality and a definite star quality. Much of her time on stage is spent with Regina Lozano, who plays Kei Aragaki, the uptight letter-writing sister worried about her brother and trying to keep everyone and everything in order while he’s away fighting. Kauhane and Lozano make an interesting contrast, as the former is obviously quite comfortable on stage and having fun—matching her character—while the latter often appears to be eager to get to the finish line and out of the spotlight—matching her character. Ultimately, though, while Lozano seemed to understand her character, she didn’t always take the time to show the audience what many of her lines really meant, leaving her Kei a little flat.

Chevy Martinez plays Jackson Omata, the self-proclaimed Jive Bomber. Martinez is full of energy, passion, and expression. Jarod Kamamo Bailon’s Aki Yamada would probably be his counterpart, quiet and thoughtful, slow in speech and movement. Both actors are called upon to deliver extreme emotions—pained anger from Martinez and deep sorrow from Bailon—and each man is more than up to the task.

Royce Okazaki and Christianne Michel pair up to play the high-school age members of the ensemble, bringing one of the most endearing and entertaining subplots of the play to life, both in the straightforward first act and musical second act. Unlike some of the other plotlines that seem lost or forgotten once the pageant starts, the story of these two characters carries on.

While there were definitely nice moments throughout act one, the show wasn’t totally successful at drawing me into the world and lives of these characters; I wanted to see more connection and depth to the interaction between them. In a small theatre with a sparse set and not much in the way of big-time theatricality, I need to know that the stakes are high for the people I’m watching on stage, and I sometimes didn’t feel it. Perhaps if Conching and the designers had used the lighting, music, or other elements more to aid the actors, to help the show build, then the big moments would have felt more…momentous. For instance, there is a scene where the ghost of Aki’s wife enters and talks to him. They have a conversation, though he doesn’t seem to know she’s there. This kind of “magic” is what I wanted to see more of. Why Hanna, the wife, played very sweetly by Thanh Apostolides, never shows up except for in that one scene is beyond me. Obviously she’s not written into the script again, but that doesn’t mean a director can’t bring her back, the same way other theatrical elements can be brought in to heighten what’s already there. Bottom line: I wanted more magic.

The musical half of the show playfully includes the audience in the action, making everyone in the theatre members of the camp. The music by Jenny Kimura is excellent. The main problem is that the singers were often difficult to hear over the tunes.

The production is most successful in its evocation of the time period and place, especially due to the combination of the music, Meg Hanna’s set design, and Lacy Hansen’s costumes. I wasn’t alive in 1943, but I imagine people with a memory of those years truly being able to connect to these elements.

A Jive Bomber’s Christmas takes the audience to a difficult time and place in history. While the struggles of each individual character are revealed, the bigger picture is one of a community coming together to find happiness and hope regardless of circumstance.

For more information, see the Kumu Kahua website or the Facebook event page.